Saturday June 18th at 2 PM - we've got a Bass Forum event with Mike Dimin, Dr. Donovan Stokes, and Christian deMesones...check out this SUPERSIZE bass event with 3 amazing bassists!

I'm very excited Mike Dimin will be joining us here for a Bass Forum. Mike has been a huge influence on my playing and a mentor. We've also been talking about doing a Bass Forum event for two years now....really since the beginning of the Bass Forum. So it is great seeing this event taking shape.

Michael Dimin, author of "Art of Solo Bass", and one of the bassists at the cutting edge of the solo bass movement will be doing a clinic for the Bass Forum as part of his "Bug n' Bass" tour. He has conducted workshops, master classes and performances from Los Angeles to Istanbul and has been featured at some of the most prestigious bass events such as Gerald Veasley's Bass Boot Camp, The Anaheim Bass Bash, BassQuake 2003, The Detroit Bass Festival, The Bass Collective and more.

Website: http://www.michaeldimin.com/home.htm
Mike's Book: http://www.amazon.com/presents-Solo-Bass-Chordal-Approach/dp/0786606533/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307554730&sr=8-1

Michael Dimin video: http://youtu.be/hB3gzV7EU30

The amazing Dr. Donovan Stokes will also be part of the clinic. Dr. Stokes is the head of the Bass Coalition, the double bass instructor at Shenendoah University - Conservatory, and a leading edge voice for alternative styles on double bass. He organizes and runs the Bass Coalition's Summer Bass Workshop every year.

Websites: http://www.donovanstokes.com/ and http://www.basscoalition.com/
Dr. Donovan Stokes video: http://youtu.be/FsAueB66Jyo

Christian deMesones will also be co-clinicing, bringing his funky sound to the event. Christian plays bass with the neo soul/smooth jazz/funk group "Groove Skool Band" and he is a huge proponent of keeping youngsters motivated with community, educational and musical events organized through his studio program, BassAlive!.

Websites: http://www.bassalive.com/ and http://www.grooveskoolband.com/
Christian deMesones video: http://youtu.be/t_nIRRx4dA8

2 Pm at Forte Music - FREE! www.fortemusicstudios.com
1691 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22401


Get ready for an amazing afternoon of learning and playing for both upright and electric bass players with these three clinicians!





Sunday JUNE 26th at 2 PM - the LEGENDARY Steve Lawson (and me!) at Forte Music - $10 door charge

The legendary Steve Lawson (internationally-acclaimed teacher, writer, clinician, bassist and solo artist) is coming over on tour from the UK.

Steve has also been a huge influence on myself and others with his ideas on looping, his concepts about social networking, and serving as a role model for what a solo bassist can do. Steve isn't on the bleeding edge of solo bass playing, he is the bleeding edge. Even Bryan Beller told the crowd at his own clinic last month...."You've gotta see Steve!"

And I will start the show with a few solo bass tunes, at the request of our guest artist. :) So come join us for this inspiring event!



About Steve:

"Steve Lawson is a brilliant musician. I've known about him and listened to him for many years. He may not be one of the most famous bassists but he is definitely one of the most talented." -
-Victor Wooten

"Lawson's writing and his phenomenal command of the possibilities of looping creates a compelling and surprising variety of sounds one would never imagine the bass capable of producing."
-JazzWise Magazine

"Lawson's solo bass compositions include palettes of lush sonic soundscapes and layers of ambient textures which have helped to redefine the art of looping and live performance as a solo bassist."
-International Institute Of Bassists

"Steve's complex array of sound and rare, intimate touch are rapidly turning him into one of the most influential bassists in the world"
-Bass Guitar Magazine

Steve's website: http://www.stevelawson.net/

Steve cover of "Love Is A Battlefield": http://youtu.be/-v8zq6HRRhQ

Steve covering "Black Hole Sun": http://youtu.be/S86J6Zyrg38

Steve Lawson jamming with Michael Manring: http://youtu.be/CSRGwa6PdIw

Steve Lawson solo at One Trick Pony: http://youtu.be/Sj1OfuGzLyk



Again....Forte is at 1691 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.

The Virginia Bass Forum proudly presents a clinic with the amazing Adam Nitti. The clinic will take place Monday Dec. 13th, 2010 at 7 PM.



Adam Nitti has been establishing himself as both a bass-wielding frontman and recording artist for well over a decade. Having also performed and recorded with a diverse collection of artists, including The Dave Weckl Band, Mike Stern, Peter Erskine, Susan Tedeschi, Scott Henderson, Phil Keaggy, Al Green, Marco Minnemann, Heather Headley, Steven Curtis... Chapman, Casting Crowns, and Keith Carlock, to name a few, he has likewise earned his reputation as a distinguished studio bassist and sideman based out of Nashville, TN. A passion to inspire excellence in musicianship led Adam into co-founding www.MusicDojo.com, the first-ever interactive online music school. Adam is a tireless educator and touring clinician and is also a regular columnist for both Bass Player Magazine and Bass Musician Magazine. He has been featured in hundreds of music publications around the world and continues to bring unique voice and perspective to the bass playing community. He currently celebrates the recent release of his fourth album, entitled, "Liminal," and will be releasing his first bass instructional video this year. Learn more at www.adamnitti.com and www.myspace.com/adamnittimusic.



Admission will be $20. Tickets can be bought in advance by contacting me at lady.bass.music@gmail.com



Many thanks for Forte Music Studios for the use of their space to host this clinic. Forte is located at 1691 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.

Hey gang,



I'm happy to say we've picked out the two instruments we are raffling off to raise funds for Guitars Not Guns this year. We are raffling off a B.C. Rich Warlock guitar and a Galveston Lucite 5 string bass. The BC Rich has a hard case, and the Galveston comes with a soft bag. Photos of these 2 awesome instruments are available at:



http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7332950&l=24eb448866&id=581228427



http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7332949&l=668f7a5194&id=581228427



Raffle tickets are one chance for $5 or three chances for $10. As per usual, tickets are available from myself and from all the students involved in the Dec. 18th Kids Jamming For Kids concert. Purchases can be made with cash or checks made payable to Guitars Not Guns. You can also purchase tickets online (more on that in a moment).



You need not be present to win, but winners will be responsible for shipping charges if you live out of the area. Last year, we had tickets sold to folks living in Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, Virginia, Indiana, Washington State, and even the UK. So feel freel to email this info to friends, post it on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace...let all of your friends know. It would be interesting to see if we can get an even more diverse geographic group of ticket buyers by spreading the word.


If someone wants to pay by credit card they can buy the tickets on the Guitars Not Guns website. Go to www.gngnca.org and click on special events for instructions; their tickets will be mailed to them.



Remember to save the date - Dec. 18th - for our upcoming Kids Jamming For Kids Concert. We will feature special guests Decades Late, Monday's Goldfish, Ben Titus' FA Rock Ensemble, and Lane Drum's Jazz Ensemble, along with other special guests. Proceeds from our event go to the Fredericksburg Chapter of Guitars Not Guns and the Fredericksburg Food Bank. Tickets are $5 at the door, plus a non perishable canned food donation.



I've also added 3 more events to my calendar (Christmas productions where I am playing double bass in orchestras), and I'm working on bookings for 2011. I might be bringing my looping clinic somewhere near you.....stay tuned!



Have a happy holiday!



Brittany

Christian "Big New York" De Mesones is our guest clinician on December 5th, 2010. He will present his clinic, "How To Get Over Your Fear of Soloing". Christian will teach workshop participants about modes and scales and how to use them to create their own solos. Participants should bring paper and a pencil to take notes. Participants should also bring their instruments as this will be a "hands on" clinic.

Christian De Mesones has been playing bass guitar for over 30 years. Formerly the bass instructor at Mars Music, he currently teaches at A2G Music in Woodbridge, Virginia. Chris graduated from the world famous Bass Institute of Technology in California, where he had the opportunity to study and workshop with greats such as Abe Laboriel, Louis Johnson, Steve Morse, Time Bogart, Howard Alden, Pat Metheny, Stanley Clarke, and the late Tommy Tedesco and Ray Brown. His early education included private study with world renowned bass guitar maker Ken Smith.

Christian has been a part of several musical groups all over the country, including bands out of Hawaii, Hollywood, New York City, and Richmond, Virginia. He has performed a wide variety of musical styles. He has had the priviledge of opening for artists such as Roberta Flack, Down to the Bone, Marion Meadows, Bob Baldwin, and Chuck Brown. He has laid bass tracks for several local artists, performed as a hired bassist in several New York clubs, and shared the stage with heavy metal greats such as Twisted Sister, White Lion, Overkill, Manowar, and Trickster at the legendary L'amours Rock Club in New York. He is a contracted bass player for Abundant Life Baptist Church in Woodbridge, Virginia, and believes that celebrating his faith with music has provided him with the opportunity and inspiration to continue his musical journey. Christian plays 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 12 string bass, and owns basses of his own design.

Christian is also the bassist for the up and coming local jazz group, Groove Skool. Groove Skool has just released a new CD and has performed at noteable venues such as Blues Alley in Washington DC and the Second Street Festival in Richmond. Check out their music at grooveskoolband.com

There is a $10 cover for the clinic. Christian will also have Groove Skool CDs for sale at the clinic for $10 each.

September Virginia Bass Forum - looping!
The next Bass Forum is Sunday, September 19th at 3 PM. I will be presenting a clinic about looping. The event will be of interest to ANYONE interested in finding out more about looping - guitarists, bassists, drummers, vocalists....anyone who thinks a looper would help them in live performance or as a practice tool.

The event will be at William Mason's Fine Stringed Instrument Repair, located at 509-1 Jackson Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. There will be a $5 charge per person for the clinic. All funds will go towards future Bass Forum events.

Thanks to Bill Mason for sponsoring the event. Pickers Supply is also sponsoring the event. They are providing demo loopers for the clinic. Participants are invited to bring their instruments if they would like to test drive various loopers.

Please contact lady.bass.music@gmail.com for more information or questions.

See you there!

Hey gang,

Every February, there is a group that does the "RPM challenge" - the goal is write a whole album in 28 days. I missed this year's challenge, as I found out about it in mid-March (via the amazing and talented UK bassist, Alun Vaughan).

So, to kick off my sustained change, in the spirit of the RPM challenge, I'm going to try to write or arrange 13 songs by April 30th. I'm hoping for more songs than thirteen, but I think that is a reasonable number to shoot for while I'm trying to build new and different practice habits. Even if I do half that amount, I will have 6 more songs than I started out with.

Please feel free to email or Facebook me and ask me how I am doing. I'd welcome the inquiries. As teacher it is easy to give much of my energy away towards helping others. I need to retrain myself towards retaining some time and energy in reserve to meet my own needs.

On a related note, Bass Boot Camp always has some crazy magic moments that happen for me. Sometimes, it's just synchroncity knocking. I checked my email on Friday the 19th, right before Adam Nitti's impromptu master class. One of my former students had written an email, titled "Interested in a trade?". The body said "My Skjold 6 string for your Rickenbacker 4003. Seriously."

My lovely blue Spector Euro 6 is needing some down time to get some minor repairs done, and I was wondering what I would do for a backup 6 string. Synchroncity answered the call. The student had lent me this particular bass about a year ago, when my Spector was in the shop getting minor adjustments done. I played 2 gigs with it and really liked what I heard.

I'll become reacquainted with my new bass this weekend. I love my 4003, but I know my student loves my Rickenbacker even more.

Sometimes, as we make resolutions and commitments to change, synchroncity comes into play to help us answer the call.

I'll share new bass pics shortly!

- Brittany

Hi gang,

Earlier this month, the Virginia Bass Forum featured Karen Loving and her presentation on the Alexander Technique. We had a really, really positive response to that event. As a result, Karen has now set up some workshops for musicians in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The workshop series is called "How To Access My Body to Create Beautiful Music."

During these workshops, you will:

• Discover ways to enhance your balance and stamina
• Relate your freedom of breathing to your instrument
• Learn to identify holding patterns and how to change them
• Feel that is ease is possible
• Make a choice to release into your movement

Throughout the classes, Karen will personally assist you with clear demonstrations and hands-on instruction to deepen your awareness of body movement, breath, and balance. Karen’s intention is to help participants experience the grace, expansiveness, and natural vitality available to all through the application of The Alexander Technique.

About Karen:
Karen Loving is a certified member of the American Society for the Alexander
Technique. She has been studying and teaching movement for more than 15
years. She is certified as a yoga instructor by Yoga Alliance. Karen owns The
Natural Spine, a creative movement studio in Culpeper, VA. She teaches the
Alexander Technique individually in her private studio and in Warrenton,, VA.
She also leads retreats in Virginia and Montana.

To register, make checks payable to:

The Natural Spine / 139 West Davis St; Suite 301 / Culpeper, VA 22701

The Happy Body/Beautiful Sound Workshop Series will run on Wednesdays.
Dates: April 7, 14 & 21, 2010 from 7-9 pm
$185.00
(To reserve a space, please make a $50 deposit
(8 people maximum-first come basis)

The workshops will take place at
William Mason's Fine String Instruments
509-1 Jackson Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Hope to see you there!

- Brittany

Hey gang,

This event is a little ways off, but I want to announce this early so folks hold the date. I know a lot of folks plan their summer vacations pretty early around the VA/DC/MD area.

I'm pleased to announce that The Virginia Bass Forum will be hosting a clinic in Fredericksburg, Virginia with solo artist, bassist, writer, composer, and clinician Bryan Beller.

Bryan Beller has maintained a frenetic, multi-faceted career as a bassist, composer, writer and clinician for over fourteen years. As a solo artist and composer, he has two widely acclaimed releases; View (which earned the monthly feature review in Bass Player Magazine) and his recent 2008 release Thanks In Advance.

As a sideman, he's earned a reputation as a uniquely talented yet supremely tasteful hired gun bassist for adventurous rock guitarists and singer/songwriters alike. He has toured with artists such as Dethklok, Steve Vai, Mike Keneally, Dweezil Zappa, and Wayne Kramer.

As a pure player, a masterclass clinician (sponsored by Mike Lull Custom Guitars, SWR Amplification and D'Addario Strings), a Contributing Editor for Bass Player Magazine, and a former Vice-President of SWR Sound Corporation, Beller brings a global perspective to the world of bass, and sits at the intersection of many of its current pathways.

Find more information at www.bryanbeller.com.

Forte Music studios has graciously allowed the Virginia Bass Forum usage of their ensemble room. A big thank you to Forte Music for this courtesy. Forte Music Studios is located in Centre Court business center at the intersection of route 1 and route 3 in Fredericksburg. For more info, go to www.fortemusicstudios.com.

There will be a $10 per person door charge. You can also contact me if you wish to pre-pay and reserve a spot. Contact me through Myspace to reserve a spot.

So here's all the details:
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
7 - 9 PM
Forte Music Studios
1691 Jefferson Davis Hwy
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
$10 at the door or pre-paid to reserve your spot


See you there!

- Brittany

Here are some of my recent blogs for the Music Teachers Helper site:


Teaching Students to Carry a Life Giving Sword, part 1:
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/teaching-students-to-carry-a-life-giving-sword-part-1/


Teaching Students to Carry a Life Giving Sword, part 2:
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/teaching-students-to-carry-a-life-giving-sword-part-2/




Since I was already digging through the MTH site, I made a list of my blogs from 2009:


Software Review: Jayde Musica
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/software-review-jayde-musica/


Theft, Fire, & Damage....are you prepared?
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/theft-fire-damageare-you-prepared/


Software Review: Eek Shark!
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/software-review-eek-shark/

The Emotional Investment of Teaching & Difficult Parents - A Request for Advice
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/the-emotional-investment-of-teaching-difficult-parents-a-request-for-advice-and-discussion/


Software Review: Earplane
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/software-review-earplane/


Taming the Sheet Music Tiger Part 3 - Going Mobile
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/taming-the-sheet-music-tiger-part-3-going-mobile/


The Toxic People Test - or When Is It Time To Fire A Student?
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/toxic-people-test-aka-when-is-it-time-to-fire-a-student/


Taming The Sheet Music Tiger Part 2 - DIY External Hard Drive
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/taming-the-sheet-music-tiger-part-2-diy-external-hard-drive/


Keeping Tax Paperwork Organized:
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/keeping-tax-paperwork-organized/


Taming the Sheet Music Tiger, Part 1:
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/taming-the-sheet-music-tiger/



As always, comments and feedback are welcome!


- Brittany

Thanks to everyone who wrote in and nominated Lady Bass Music for Intuit's January contest. The quotes were awesome and quite inspiring to read! Here are a few of them:

"Compliments to Brittany Frompovich. Well known for teaching the young, she also teaches adults; transitioning effortlessly between generational groups with a sense of fun and purpose. I can easily recommend her to people whether they be 8 or 80."

"Lady Bass Music provides a quality music education to its clients and at the same time inspires those clients to be socially conscious good citizens through it philanthropic initiatives like “Kids Jamming For Kids”.

"...an inspiring musician. She is one of the most giving people of her time and her knowledge. She has enormous energy and ideas. She is so much more than a teacher."

"Her devotion to what she does has been consistent every week that we visit the studio. She provides a real view of what it means to be a good musician that makes a difference in the community by keeping her students engaged and involved in charity."


One vote even came in from the UK...

"A fantastically talented teacher with the ability to inspire and nurture creativity in young musicians"


Winners are chosen randomly, so Lady Bass Music wasn't selected for review as far as I know. But here are the 5 lucky businesses that were awarded grants - congrats!! http://smallbusiness.intuit.com/blog/where-small-is-now/2010/02/love-a-local-business-delivers-grant-to-blossom-birth.html

You still have one more day to nominate LBM (or any business that you love) for the February grant contest. Head to www.lovealocalbusiness.com to find out more!

Thanks again gang!